ONE women's atomweight MMA star Denice Zamboanga is on the best run of her career thus far after coming out on top against Noelle Grandjean at ONE 167 last Friday, June 7.
Ranked as the No. 2 fighter in the women's atomweight MMA division, the pressure was on for 'The Menace' to pull out the win against the judo black belter with just about two weeks' worth of preparation after atomweight MMA queen Stamp Fairtex pulled out due to injury.
'Lil Monkey' brought the fight to the ground after a short striking exchange late in the first round, but Zamboanga quickly turned the tables on her as she out-grappled the French-Thai star on the ground.
Zamboanga was able to even lock in a rear-naked choke to close out the opening frame, but the bell rang just in time for Grandjean to prevent a potential finish.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
Check out the full exchange below.
As the fight wore on, Zamboanga fully leaned into her striking dominance to prevent Grandjean from finding her footing, landing heavy strikes at will throughout the contest.
When the final bell rang, the T-Rex MMA Training Center would find her hand raised via unanimous decision, extending her winning streak to three.
Denice Zamboanga still hopes to challenge Stamp
Missing out on challenging for the women's atomweight MMA world championship surely has to sting for the Filipino star, but she has not given up on fighting her longtime best friend Stamp.
Speaking with the South China Morning Post after ONE 167, Denice Zamboanga stated:
"Hopefully, [it happens]. It's just not me expecting the fight. It's just not me, everyone wants to see that fight. So I hope she recovers and we can fight."
Fans in the United States and Canada with a Prime Video subscription can rewatch the entirety of ONE 167 for free.